Method of making floral-design frames



Feb. 8. 1927.

W. H. WOERNER METHOD OF MAKING FLORAL DESIGN FRAMES Filed Nov. 30, 1923 l v ammoi; W15. VVOERNZRQ WQ /MMW Patented Feb. 8 1927.

Lama's WILLIAM mfwonn'nn'n, oE'oi/rAnA, NEBRASKA:

ME'll-IODOF "MAKING FLonAL-nEsrGn-rnAMEst :A pIicac-ion fild-liovember 30, 1923. semi No, 677,700.

- My-invention relates to the construction of wire frames of. the class commonly'used by florists as thefoundation for cut-flower designs, such as :the annular wreaths which are the most frequently used form. Itis the object of my invention to provide'frames of this character, and a method of making the same, whereby to I secure the greatest strength.andrigidity of the frames propor- :tional' to the amount ofwire usedin the for- -mation thereof, and at the, sainetime. to so' i'acilitatetheconstruction of the frames as to limit the labor cost' thereof to a minimum.

In the. accompanying drawings Figfl is a perspective view of a wreath frame con istructed in accordance with my invention,

1 eltig. 2 isa plan .view ot the forming-plate used for the initial shaping of the tie-wire i and for 'holdingthe same and the base. contour-Wires during the welding thereof, the

wires being inplace upon the plate and i'eady'for the welding operation, Fig. 3 is a -detail transverse section onthe line 33 of Fig. 2, Fig. 'isa detail transverse section on thesline HgofFig. 2, Fig. 5 is atransverse section of a. forming-die for shaping the tie-wire after the same and the base contour- Wires have beenvvelded, and Fig. 6xis a partial plan view of the'frameas. shaped by the die-andprior to .its completion by the welding on of the upper contour-Wires.

I In: the construction of frames forfloral designs, "the characteristic outline or contour ofrthe design'is formed by a plurality of wires which are spaced apart transversely l in a, quadrangular arrangement, said contourewires being connected-with each other by" transversely extending tie-wires, the latter extending across three sides of thequadrangular space, whilethe fourth side is open. The frame is thus channel-shaped intrans verse section, and when covered with foil it "forms a trough-like containerfor a filling :of moss'or 'the like, into whichthe' steins of th'eflowers maybe inserted In the'usual construction of these 'frames'thereis employed a plurality of *separateU-shaped tie- Wires, which extend perpendicularly, of the contour-Wires and-which must i be handled separately and secured to'the contour wires While the latter are held in position by some other means.

In the construction of floral design frames according to I my invention, j' I employ contour-Wires in substantially the usual arrangement, but connect the same by tiemembers which are formed by a continuous I wire, the several transverse'connecting parts having a zig-Zagor serrated arrangement, and extending diagonally'of the contourwires in successively iopp'osite directions, whereby the frame"v has a triiss like forma-- 'tion', giving it "great rigidity.

The. structure of 'my frames, and the method of makii g the sameymay be easily understood by referenceto a specific example thereof, such asthe Wreath-frame shown;

in the drawings. In, said frame all of the tie-members 7 are formed from a single continuous piece of wire which is first given a star-shapedformation in a fiat plane, wherev by'itssuccessive parts cross and re-cross the i annular contour diagonally, tl18"111l16r"-al 1l 7 projecting equidistahtly be yond "the desired contour-of, the completed "frame; The base c'ontour-niembersi8 and 9 are'then'laid upon-the shaped tie-member and secured thereto bysuitable means, pref erably by electric-Weldingat each juncture. The laterally projecting V-shaped' points 7 are then bent upward from the base-plane in per contour-members 10 and ll are then seat each point.

' Where frames of the same form =Ll1tl llinensions are to be produced in quantity, the

construction thereof is greatly facilitated by theluse of forn'iiug d'evices such as slmw'u in Figs to 5, inclusive. Referring to'Fig. 2, there is provided a'forming-plate consisting. of aninn'er ring 12 and outer ring 13,

which. are connected by uniformly spaced being those about which the tie-wire? is bent to form the innerand, outer poiiitsfof t the star-like pattern, and the pins il8'b'eing employed to, prevent bulgingof 'thenwire during thebendin'g thereof'about the respeceach of which is formed by a pair' of in- Verted U-shaped'pieces 19 of resilient mate= which they are originally formed, the :inner and outerpoints preferably'being slightly divergent from the base upward. The up cured t0 the'upturned points ofthetie-iriembei's, preferablyby -electric-Welding the-saii'io radial arms'l t, int-egralwiththerings, On" wtheinner ring 12, near-the ends ot'the arms 14', a regslightly *raisedcircular lugs 15', and :upon the outerring'13 at points intermediate the ends vofthe arms 14 are similar lugs--16. 'On each of-the -lugs 1'5 and 16are tWoup- 1 wardly extendingpins 17 and; 18, the pins 1'? -tivelyadjacentgpins17. =Upo'n each ofthe i "arms 14 are tworesilient clips oriholdfi'its,

rial such as piano-wire, each of said pieces lying in a vertical plane extending longitudinally of the arm 14 the adjacent legs of the U-m'emb'ers being slightly spaced apartand terminating near the upper edge-of the T arm, the other legs extending through the arm to the lower sideithereof and having portions at the lower ends thereof-turned to extend along the lower side of the arm, to which said portions are secured by screws 21' as shown in Fig. 3. The said resilient nembers 19 are adapted to receive between while held in the, desired relation to eachother. After the welding operation is completed the flat frame-structure is removed from the forming-plate, and the laterally projecting points 7 are turned upwardly. In Fig. '5 is shown aforming-die comprising a lower annular member 22 which is trough-shaped in transverse section, and an upper annular member 23 adapted to enter the trough of the lower member and to force into the same the flat frame-structure, so that the laterally projecting points of the tiemember will be turned upwardly and fit between the sloping sides of the die-members.

" Thedie-members may, of course, be mounted in a suitable press, and provided with guides or-gages for centering the wire structure therein. Preferably the V-shaped laterally projecting portions of the tiememberv are not turned up far enough to lie in planes perpendicular to the base portions, but are left slightly divergent, as represented in Figs. 1 and 6, so that a plurality of the completed frame may be nested together and thus occupy a minimum space.

' In the completion of the frames, after the members 7 8 and 9' have been secured toturned up as described, each of the members 7 10 and 11 maybe readily shaped to the desired contour of the design as the successive parts of the member are secured to the bringing it into contact with the second point so that it may be secured thereto, and

the operation thus continued in a similar tion thereof by avoiding the separate han-i dlmg of the large nun ber'of U-shaped 1116-" wires commonly used in frames of this kind;

that the initial formation of the continuous tie-wire in a single plane may be easily effected; that the'turning up of the lateral portions after the welding of the base contour-wires insures the retention of the de- 7 sired base-contour of the frame; and that the diagonal arrangement of the tie-1118111 bers in alternating directions provides a frame of great strength and rigidity, proportional to the weight and amount Of'WlIG used therein.

Now, having described my invention, what to secure by Letters V 90 I claim and desire Patent is: s p

1. The method of making frames of the class described, consisting in disposing a tiemember in the base-plane of the design contour, disposing base contour-wires upon said tie-member and securing the same thereto at the pointswhere said'contour-wires cross the tie-member, thenturniiig up from the base-plane port-ions of the tie-member, and finally securing upper contour-wires to the upturned portions of the tieemeinber.

2. The method of making frames of the class described, consisting in disposing tie-' members to intersect diagonally the design contour in the base-plane. thereof, disposing base contour-wires uponsaid tie-members and securing the same thereto at the several points where said contour-wires cross the.

tie-members, then turning up from the baseplane the portions of the tie-members which project laterally of the base contour-wires, and finally securing upper contour-wires to i the upturned portions of the tie-members. gether and the points of the tie-member The method of making frames of the class described, consisting in shaping a convtinuous tie-wire to successively intersect diagonally the des gn contour in the plane ofthe base thereof, disposing base contourwires upon said shaped tie-wire and securing the same thereto at the points where said contour-wires cross the tie-wire, then turning up from the plane of the base the portions of the tie-wire which project laterally of the base Contour-wires, and finally securing upper contour-wires to the upturned portions of thetie-wire.

WILLIAM H. WVOERNER, 

